Process for dehydrating emulsions



April 13 1926.

w. CAMERON PROCESS, FOR DEHYDRATING EMULSIONS Filed Nov. 15

Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

umreo S ATES 1 WILLIAM omnaon, orsuaz, new, assmnoa smut-e 50mm,

: or sax rnauerseo, camronnm. A'COBPORATIOH or earns-om I raoqnss roeunmanned mm.

Application filed November and useful \Process for Dehydrating Emul-vsions, of which the following is a specification.

to petroleum emulsions .contaimng water having a considerable .saltcontent. Such oils occur in many parts-of the world and are commonlyreferred to as salty erudes.

vIt is a well known fact that'water may be' removed from such oils byheating, but great difliculty is found in operating the ordinary type ofheating apparatus due to thetendency of the salt or other water solublemat-, ter to deposit on theheating surfaces. While ofcourse's'odium-chloride is the commonest of these, water solublesubstances, I

there are various magnesia, lime and other saltswhich are found in suchwaiter. All of these salts. behave in a similar manner, depositing onthe heated surfaces where they form a thick shell or scale. This scaleis a poor conductor of heat and; wherever it forms there is a tendencyfor the surface to overheat, blister and become destroyed.

In the ordinary operation of stills on these salty crudes a very rapidclogging up of-the still and deterioration of its heat surface is noted.I have discovered that this deposit of solid matter is due to a localevaporation from the heating surfaces which may occur even where the oilis very much below the boiling point of water. due to the fact that thewater particles tend to adhere to the surfaces of the metal and toabsorb heat therefrom becoming heated above the boiling point althoughsurrounded by oil which may be very much below the boiling poi t. As a.result these small globules or Sarticles of water are converted. intosteam leaving any dissolved matter in the form of a solid adhering tothemetal surface. The steam so produced is probably Myinvention relates tothe. art of-removing water from emulsions or distilling crude oil ordistillate but is particularly applicable This, I believe, is

1.5, 1920. Serial no. 424,1i2.

although the an m below the boiling temperature of water. 'My inventionovercomes this fdlfiiculty by evaporating the" wateiwithout allowing itto come in con: tact Wlth' heated'surfaces of any j Further objects andadvantages will be made evident hereinafter.

In thedrawing which is for 'illustrative rnu e s v F Fig. 11s a diagramof the apparatus employedand Fig. 2 isa flow. diagram of the process,- fTheapparatus employed, cbnsists (if, a; make-nppumpll, a circulatingpump 12, a valporizing chamber 13 and a heater .14. 1 The or tobedehydrated isjdelivered by the pump 11 through a pi 20 mm a pipe-'21eadlngto, the top oft e vaporizing chamber In'this vaporizing chamberthe; oil falls on a spreader which covers .the end of the vapor outletpipe123, the endo'f which 1s perforated with severalopenings as shown at24. The oil falls'into the bottom of'thc vaporizing chamber as shown at25. This 011 1s constantly circulated by means of the pump 12 throughpipes 26 and 27 into the 'heater 14 where the oil is heated above the.

This salty crude mixes with the highly heated oil in the pipe 21, themixture being released above the s reader cone 22, falling downwardlythrong the vaporizing chamber 13. The greater portion ofthe water anddistillate is vaporized and passes away toa condenser. by the pipe 23.Any water, however, which falls into the bulk supply 25 being convertedinto steam. All of this steam together with the lighter portions of theoil are also carried off in the form of vapor through the pipe 23,leaving the oil and the saline matter in the bottom of the .vaporizmgchamber 13.

have discovered that the salts in their solid form when freed from waterwill float in suspension in the body of oil without any tendency toadhere to metal surfaces. I am therefore able to constantly withdraw aportionof the;oilthrongh a 'pipe 30 co-n'tro led ca'pe freely andmaintain'i'ngthe temperature of said oil by circulatingdehydratedportions thereof over heated metal surfaces."

2. A process of treating emulsions containing water having water solublesa ts in solution therein comprising injecting 'said emulsion intoa bodyof oil having a tem-' perature above the boiling point of water,

allowing'the water vapor so produced to es cape freely,-and.jmaint'a'ining the 'te'm'perafi,

ture of said "oil 'byfcirculating dehydrated.

portions-thereof through'heated chambers. 3. A ,process of treatingemulsions co'na' closed ring of dehydrated 'oil from and to abulk supplythereof, maintainin the temper'ature of said oil above the boi ing,point of Witeriby "the application of heat t c-said 'vaporssoiproducedto escape *Ereely.

4. Alpioeess oftreating an emulsion having water soluble salts insolution therein I which comprises: circulating dehydrated 40 oil arounda closed ring containing a heater and a vaporizing chamber; injectingthe emulsion into said ring after the dehydrated oil leaves the heater;-and withdrawing the water vapor from said vaporizing chamber,

the oil leaving the heater being at" a turn pera'ture in excess of theboiling :poifitiif'5 waterst the pressure found in said 'va'poria-. ingchamber.

5. A process of'treating an emulsion having water soluble salts insolution therein which comprises: circulating dehydratoil oil around 'aclosedring containing alheaiter and a vaporizing chamber; injecting "theemulsion 'into'said ring after the dehydrated 4 vaporizing chamber; andWithdrawing the. Water vapor from said vaporizing chamber, the oilleaving the heat'er being'at a'temperature in excess ofthe boiling pointof water 0 taining water having water soluble salts in solution thereinwhich comprises circulatingl the pressure-found in said vvaporizingchamber.

Int'esti'mony'that I claim the foregoing as my invention "Ihave signedmy name this llthda'y of October, 1920.= W. CAMERON.

